24 Must-Read Happiness Books of 2024

Get ready for a truly happy new year with these smart lessons for joyful living.

No matter our circumstances, happiness is always an option—but this is easier said than done. Is it true that we just need to grin and bear it? Fake it till we actually feel a flicker of joy ignite? When it comes to happiness, there is no one way to find it, but there is a science to what makes us shine from within. Be it grief, burnout, or cynicism, these books about happiness offer brilliant advice for finding your way out of the darkness and into an inspired, content, happy way of life.

Every season, our curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Adam Grant pick two exciting reads to share with Next Big Idea Club members. The rankings below, however, are based on the popularity of “Book Bite” audio summaries in the Next Big Idea App. In other words, they are among 2024’s best happiness books, according to our thousands of app users. Read on to find joy in our complicated reality.

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24. Other People’s Words: Friendship, Loss, and the Conversations That Never End

By Lissa Soep

How language can nurture life amid the wreckage of grief. We carry within us the language of loved ones who are gone, and their words can be portals to other times and places. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Lissa Soep, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

23. MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact

By Adaira Landry & Resa Lewiss

Every big goal, complicated task, healthy habit, and even what we think of as character traits, can be broken down into small, learnable, skills that can be practiced, and incorporated real-time. These are MicroSkills. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by c0-authors Adaira Landry and Resa Lewiss, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

22. Good People: Stories From the Best of Humanity

By Gabriel Reilich & Lucia Knell

Embrace—and share—the transformative power of kindness through stories of more than one hundred good people, brought to you by Upworthy, the beloved social media platform where millions find inspiration, joy, and daily affirmation. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Gabriel Reilich and Lucia Knell, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

21. Shine: How Looking Inward Is the Key to Unlocking True Entrepreneurial Freedom

By Gino Wickman & Rob Dube

It’s possible to be a driven entrepreneur and have inner peace. With 10 simple disciplines, this guide will help you make a bigger impact while increasing your freedom and creativity. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Gino Wickman, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

20. Secure Relating: Holding Your Own in an Insecure World

By Sue Marriott & Ann Kelley

Finding hope, connection, and empowerment amidst the many barriers to emotional closeness awaits in this comprehensive approach to understanding and transforming all kinds of relationships into more secure and satisfying bonds. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Sue Marriott and Ann Kelley, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

19. How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days

By Kari Leibowitz

A blend of mindset science, original research, and cultural insights for cultivating a positive wintertime mindset, to vanquish winter blues and find joy and comfort in dark times year-round. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Kari Leibowitz, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

18. The Inner Clock: Living in Sync with Our Circadian Rhythms

By Lynne Peeples

How the groundbreaking science of circadian rhythms can help you sleep better, feel happier, and improve your overall health. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Lynne Peeples, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

17. LIT: Life Ignition Tools: Use Nature’s Playbook to Energize Your Brain, Spark Ideas, and Ignite Action

By Jeff Karp

Radically simple experimental tools to help anyone tap into a high-energy brain state to fire up innovative potential and shape their lives with intention—by the founder of a Harvard biomedical engineering innovation lab. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jeff Karp, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

16. Burnout Immunity: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work

By Kandi Wiens

An essential guide everyone needs to protect themselves from burnout by learning to develop and master key emotional intelligence skills. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Kandi Wiens, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

15. The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions

By Michael Norton

A renowned social psychologist demonstrates the power of small acts—and how a subtle turning of habits into rituals can add purpose and pleasure to life. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Michael Norton, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

14. How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World

By Donald Robertson

As a practicing cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, Robertson uses his expertise to reveal many parallels between the evidence-based concepts and techniques of modern psychology and the philosophy of Socrates. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Donald Robertson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

13. New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That’s Got It Wrong

By Stephanie Harrison

Well-being expert and social media sensation Stephanie Harrison of @newhappyco reveals the counterintuitive secrets to happiness and provides a practical guide to help us all learn how to live a happy life. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Stephanie Harrison, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

12. Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness

By Jamil Zaki

A Stanford psychologist argues that to beat back cynicism we must engage in hopeful skepticism. Far from being naïve, hopeful skepticism is a precise way of understanding others that can rebalance our view of human nature and help us build the world we truly want. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jamil Zaki, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

11. The Joy You Make: Find the Silver Linings–Even on Your Darkest Days

By Steven Petrow

Joy is always present—in our everyday routines, in ties to those we care about, even in our grief. It may be easier to see and feel it during the good times, but we can learn to find joy even in the darkest days. All we need is a road map—and now we have one. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Steven Petrow, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

10. The Happy High Achiever: 8 Essentials to Overcome Anxiety, Manage Stress, and Energize Yourself for Success―Without Losing Your Edge

By Mary Anderson

A game-changing road map for ambitious people to transform chronic stress and anxiety into sustainable happiness and success. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Mary Anderson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

9. Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down

By Corey Keyes

The Emory University sociologist who coined the term languishing—low-grade mental weariness that affects our self-esteem, relationships, and motivation—explores the rise of this phenomenon and presents a comprehensive guide to flourishing in a world that demands too much. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Corey Keyes, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

8. Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There

By Tali Sharot & Cass Sunstein

A groundbreaking new study of how disrupting our well-worn routines, both good and bad, can rejuvenate our days and reset our brains to allow us to live happier and more fulfilling lives. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Tali Sharot, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

7. Think Remarkable: 9 Extraordinary Habits that will Transform Your Life and Illuminate the World

By Guy Kawasaki & Madisun Nuismer

Learn how to make a difference to just one life, or the world, by embracing what makes people remarkable. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Guy Kawasaki, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

6. Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being

By Sue Varma

A practical program rooted in optimism to help you live fully and joyfully in an imperfect, turbulent world. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Sue Varma, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

5. Rewire: Break the Cycle, Alter Your Thoughts and Create Lasting Change (Your Neurotoolkit for Everyday Life)

By Nicole Vignola

Change your mind to change your life—discover the neuroscience of a better you from neuroscientist and online sensation Nicole Vignola that teaches you how to rewire your brain to achieve peak mental wellbeing. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nicole Vignola, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

4. The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond

By Debra Whitman

Through her extensive investigation into the economics and biology of aging, Whitman shows that Americans over fifty are a boon to their country and have plenty left to enjoy. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Debra Whitman, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

3. The Art of the Interesting: What We Miss in Our Pursuit of the Good Life and How to Cultivate It

By Lorraine Besser

Living a good life has traditionally been seen as the outcome of obtaining happiness and meaning. Now, the greatest advancement in many lifetimes adds a third dimension: the interesting. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Lorraine Besser, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

2. Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts

By Oliver Burkeman

Looking beyond the challenges of time management to the most fundamental questions about how to live, Burkeman offers a powerful new way to take action on what counts: a guiding philosophy of life that he calls “imperfectionism.” Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Oliver Burkeman, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon

1. Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection

By Charles Duhigg

A fascinating exploration of what makes conversations work—and how we can all learn to be supercommunicators at work and in life. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Charles Duhigg, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon